IMPACT

Project duration: July 2026 to June 2032

IMPACT is a six-year European research project running from July 2026 to June 2032. Funded through the Horizon Europe Cancer Mission, it brings together 13 organisations, including universities, hospitals, cancer specialists, patient organisations, health economists, technology companies and European professional organisations.

IMPACT focuses on people whose cancer has spread to the lining of the abdominal cavity, known as peritoneal metastases, or to the space around the lungs, where it can cause malignant pleural effusion. These conditions can be difficult to treat and can have a serious effect on survival, symptoms and quality of life.

The project will study a different way of administering chemotherapy. Instead of relying only on treatment delivered through the bloodstream, chemotherapy is turned into a fine aerosol and delivered directly into the affected part of the body during minimally invasive surgery. In the abdomen, this method is known as PIPAC. In the chest, it is known as PITAC.

Delivering the treatment as an aerosol could help the medicine spread more evenly and reach the tumour tissue more effectively, while limiting its effects on the rest of the body. IMPACT will also investigate whether electrostatic technology can further improve how the aerosol is distributed and absorbed.

The central purpose of the project is to establish whether this approach is effective, safe and suitable for wider use in cancer care throughout European hospitals. IMPACT will therefore conduct three large clinical trials involving more than 500 patients at over 30 clinical centres in at least seven European countries. The trials will cover peritoneal metastases from colorectal cancer, peritoneal metastases from gastric cancer, and malignant pleural effusion.

The project will look beyond whether the treatment works medically. It will also examine patients’ needs and experiences, quality of life, costs, acceptance among healthcare professionals and the practical requirements for introducing the treatment in different European health systems. The final aim is to produce the clinical evidence and implementation tools needed to determine whether aerosolised chemotherapy could become a standard treatment option in the next future.

ECO’s role is to lead the project’s work on communication, dissemination and policy outreach, developing IMPACT’s visual identity, website, communication materials and overall communication and dissemination plan and making complex scientific information clear and accessible to different audiences. As results become available, ECO will help translate the project’s clinical, economic and implementation findings into relevant policy messages and recommendations.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only
and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.